Five area teams are alive and in the hunt tonight as the Eastern quarterfinal round of the PIAA girls AAAA, and boys and girls AA playoffs go on throughout the state.

In a girls AAAA doubleheader at Liberty, District 11 runner-up Allen takes on Wilson-West Lawn at 7 p.m. while District 11 champion Whitehall entertains District 1 runner-up Central Bucks West in the 8:30 p.m. nightcap.

Kutztown's boys and girls are both alive in an AA doubleheader at North Schuylkill. The girls open the night at 7 o'clock in a game against Mt. Carmel, led by Maria Fantanarosa, the state's all-time leading scorer, while the second place District 3 boys take on Dunmore, District 2's top team, in the 8:30 p.m. second game.

ALLEN vs. WILSON WEST LAWN

The Chicks are coming off undoubtedly their biggest win of the season after beating Upper Dublin in overtime.

"Morale is at its peak of the year," explained Allen coach Lou Sabler. "It's not just because of the win. The girls know what they've got to do. They're going to try and do it.

"Every game is a hurdle, but there's really no question that that game (Upper Dublin) gives us a lift. They're going to be playing extra hard because they know now they can beat some fo the best teams in the state."

The Chicks met Wilson earlier in the year and took a 49-48 overtime win at home. Despite playing in familiar confines at Liberty, Wilson will bring a high-scoring team that likes to control the boards.

Wilson (23-5) is led in the scoring department by Nancy Keene, averaging almost 17 points a game (452 on the season) and Missy Sallade, averaging around 15 (394 points). Sallade, 5-10, is the big girl inside while Keene can and will shoot from anywhere on the floor.

Other starters for Wilson, the No. 2 team out of District 3, include Juli Winkler, Kristi Brown and Kelly Hawk.

"They've got some size in Sallade and a 1,000-point scorer in Keene," Sabler acknowledged. "We've scouted them so we do have a game plan we'd like to work on offense and defense."

WHITEHALL vs. C.B. WEST

One could almost hear Whitehall coach Phil Armstrong wince through the telephone when talking about tonight's contest.

"They have that 6-3 1/2 girl (Carole Oaten), at least that's what the program says," a subdued Armstrong said. "She'll be the tallest girl we've run into since York last year."

The Zephyrettes are 25-0 and coming off a nail-biting 39-36 overtime win over Chichester. Sue Fritsch, one of the area's premier players, is nursing a twisted ankle, but is expected to be just about full strength by game time.

Oaten and teammate Sharon Seiz were first team selections in the Bux-Mont League as West copped first place in the league. Seiz is the team's leading scorer.

"We've scouted them a couple of times," Armstrong offered. Whitehall's game plan depends on the accuracy of its shooters. Armstrong feels strongly that the Zephyrettes will have to shoot well to win.

"If we can shoot well, that should draw them out a bit and that will help us."

KUTZTOWN vs. DUNMORE

The Cougars (25-2) are coming off a 69-56 win over Pen Argyl that was close down to the last five minutes. Sporting 7-foot Mark Erb and his 6-5 cousin, Scott Houck, it's easy to say the Cougars have a height advantage over most teams.

Against Dunmore (Lackawanna League, 15-11), Kutztown will be facing a squad that has re-emerged from various injuries to score three upsets in its district tournament, two in overtime. The Bucks are led by 6-1 guard/forward Sal Marchese, one of District 2's top players. The junior has averaged around 20 points a game this year en route to becoming a 1,000-point scorer.

He is joined by shooting guard Joe Haggerty (5-9), who has had back problems most of the season. Other starters include 5-5 point guard Mark Senofonte, Gregg Altman (5-9) and Mark Weiland (6-1).

"They are a team that likes to push the ball down court," noted Kutztown coach Art Luptowski, who saw the Bucks defeat two-time Class A champ Northwest in the District 2 final. "They have a set offense revolving mostly around the 6-1 forward and one shooting guard. They like to shoot from the perimeter. It appears to be a team on which people know their roles."

Kutztown will be looking to control the game with its height, plus one other advantage. Senior Brent Fenstermacher snapped a shooting slump against Pen Argyl to make the Cougars offense multi-faceted for the first time since mid-season.

"We still have to have Brent play a solid floor game," Luptowski maintained. "He played a good one versus Pen Argyl."

Another big plus for the Cougars in this game should be the crowd. The Kutztown girls play in the opener, which should warm up the Cougar following for the boys game.

KUTZTOWN vs. MT. CARMEL

Kutztown coach Dean Lengel and his 23-6 Cougars will have their hands full with Mt. Carmel.

Mt. Carmel (17-9) is home to Fantanarosa, the state's all-time leading scorer, bar none. She recently passed Tom McMillan on the state all-time scoring list.